Microsoft SQL Server Full vs Express Edition Guidelines

The MET/TEAM installer includes Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Express which is a database platform available for free from Microsoft. This 'Express' version should be sufficient for stand-alone or small networked MET/TEAM installations. Microsoft also offers several other non-Express versions of SQL Server that in this article we will refer to as "Full" versions. Feature comparisons of all SQL Server 2008 R2 editions can be found via link below:

The most relevant limitations of the SQL Server 2008 R2 Express editions are:

It is limited to a database size of 10 GB

It can use max of 1 GB of RAM

It uses only 1 CPU

If any of the above are affecting your installation, or if you have more than 5 concurrent users and are experiencing performance issues, or if you just want to get the best performance possible from MET/TEAM, then we recommend using a full edition of SQL Server®.

Note that you can always upgrade from Express Edition to Full Edition when the database file size is getting close to the 10 GB limitation. Contact Microsoft or a reputable vendor for information on upgrading your copy of SQL Server Express.